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Youth court statistics in Canada, 2011/2012: highlights

Canadian youth courts (involving 12-to 17-year olds) completed just over 48,000 cases in 2011/2012, representing a 10% decline from the previous year and the third consecutive annual decline. The 2011/2012 decrease resulted in the lowest number of cases completed in youth courts since national data were first collected 20 years ago.

Recent declines in completed youth court cases occurred across the country. The largest decreases were in the territories, where drops ranged from -23% to -36% between 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. Among the provinces, British Columbia recorded the largest decrease in youth court cases (-16%), followed by New Brunswick (-14%) and Ontario (-12%).

Similar to previous years, ten types of cases accounted for 70% of completed youth court cases. The most common were cases involving theft (14%), common assault (8%), and break and enter (8%).

Virtually all types of completed youth court cases decreased between 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. Some of the largest declines were for cases involving theft (-17%), break and enter (-15%) and major assault (-15%). Cases involving the possession of drugs (+7%) as well as those for other drug crimes (+2%) were among the few types of cases to increase.

The majority (77%) of youth court cases completed in 2011/2012 involved male accused. In addition, most (61%) youth court cases involved those aged 16 or 17 years at the time of the offence.

In 2011/2012, nearly 6 in 10 (57%) completed youth court cases resulted in a finding of guilt. While similar to the previous year, longer-term data show that the proportion of cases resulting in a finding of guilt has decreased while the proportion of cases with a stayed, withdrawn, dismissed or discharged outcome has increased.

Probation continued to be the most common type of youth court sentence in 2011/2012, imposed in about 6 in 10 guilty cases. The median length of probation sentences was 1 year.

Custody sentences were imposed in 15% of 2011/2012 guilty youth court cases, down from 24% to 29% throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. The decrease in custody has been offset somewhat by sentences to deferred custody and supervision, imposed in about 4% to 5% of cases since being introduced as a sentencing option in 2003.

The median length of time taken to complete a youth court case fell to 108 days (or about 3½ months), the third consecutive annual decline. For the fifth year in a row, Manitoba recorded the longest median case time (140 days or 4½ months) among the provinces, nearly five times longer than the shortest median case time in Prince Edward Island (29 days).